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Hard water is this an issue?

3K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  lorax84 
#1 ·
I have been all over the internet and back trying to find current info on Orlando's water results. The only info I could find in regards to our water here is this. This was from 2006 so I am sure this is not 100% accurate. I know the water here is hard because of all the "residue" left behind. This below is a statement from my water company OUC. (Orlando Utilities Commission )

Water Hardness. Water described as “hard” is high in
dissolved minerals — most often calcium and
magnesium. By contrast, water that has few minerals is
considered soft. OUC's water supply wells tap into the
Floridan Aquifer, a limestone formation underlying most
of the State of Florida. When limestone dissolves in the
water, the water becomes hard due to the presence of
calcium. OUC's water ranges in hardness from
“moderately hard” at 133 parts per million (ppm) in the
downtown area to “hard” at 179 ppm in the Southeast
or Lake Nona area.


I noticed buying RO water has helped me clarify the water in my tank quite a bit. I have been doing my water changes with 50% Tap 50% RO. Also the PH of my tap water is between 8.4 and 8.6

Am I wasting money with the RO water?

Community tank with a few live plants.
 
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#2 ·
8.4 is way to high to grow a lot of plants. If I was trying to run a planted community tank (I am assuming most of your fish are from South America) I would probably mix RO water 2:1 with your tap water. My water is about 8.0 and moderately hard and for my SA tank I mix 1:1 RO and tap water. That only gets the PH down to about 7.2. Why don't you mix up some RO and tap water and test the PH after it has been mixed and then adjust you formula accordingly.
 
#3 ·
When I mix the RO water with my tap water the ph comes down to about 7.6 or so. with the 50 50.
 
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